What's the hardest thing you've ever had to let go of? Maybe you were moving out of a family home that was filled with memories. Or maybe you had a treasured heirloom or a collectible and you just thought it was wonderful but your children didn't want to pass it on. Maybe it was a vehicle that you had to trade in for something more practical. The minivan?
Maybe it was an investment that went upside down. You'd poured everything into it and now it's gone. We all have things we cling to, possessions that we connect to for belonging, meaning, or security, sometimes money itself. But sometimes what we hold on to most tightly is actually keeping us from something better. What if we were created to place our belonging, our meaning, and our security somewhere else or in someone else?
Today, we're diving into another tough teaching in our series, That Thing Jesus Said. In Matthew 19, we find a conversation between Jesus and a wealthy young man. This man had lots of possessions and had the means to acquire anything he could ever want. So Jesus calls him to live a completely different life, to let go of everything, to leave everything he had acquired, and to follow Jesus. The call was to sell your possessions and give. Give it all away.
Today, we're going to learn that letting go is actually the first step of living generously, something that this young man struggled with. But first, let me welcome you to Mountain View Church. Whether you're here in person or joining online, we're so glad to have you here. And if you're new, we would love to connect with you. Simply visit mountainview.church slash connect or text connect to the number on the screen, which is 867-322-8001. For families out there, we have a base camp children's program available every Sunday morning between 930 and 11. And our youth group is every Sunday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. With that out of the way, let's jump back in today's message. Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 19.
verses 16 to 23. Matthew is the first book of the New Testament in the last third of the Bible. If you don't have a Bible with you, you can go to bible.com or download an app on your mobile device. If you would like a physical Bible in your in-house, you can go ahead and grab one and keep it. It's our gift to you. And if you'd like us to mail you one, simply text Bible to the number on the screen and we'll send one out. I'm Katerina and I'll be reading from Matthew 19. And behold, a man came up to him saying, teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? And he said to him, why do you ask me what is good?
The young men said to him, All these I have kept. What do I still lack? Jesus said to him, When the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. And Jesus said to his disciples, truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus challenges us to examine what we trust most, what we cling to.
His challenge to the rich young ruler isn't just about money. He's testing the man's allegiance and his confidence. He's testing the condition of the man's heart. But before we unpack all that and unpack this young man's situation, we need to gain some cultural context. You see, in first century Judaism, wealth was often seen as a sign of divine favor. Many believe that if someone was rich and had possessions and could acquire anything, that they had been given God's approval. They were better than everyone else. Now, later in the chapter, we actually read...
a statement by Jesus to his disciples that kind of proves this cultural position. Jesus says, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. And this is crazy to the disciples. Their response is utter disbelief and confusion. Again, because there's a cultural problem here for them. Wealth is supposed to be connected to God's blessing. Isn't it, Jesus? Shouldn't the gate be wide and easy to pass through for rich people? Isn't that the way we've been told, Jesus? After all, they've experienced so much favor from God. Haven't they, Jesus? Wait a second. There's something off here.
But once again, as we've witnessed throughout the series, as we witness, as we follow Jesus through the gospel accounts, he often shatters religious and cultural assumptions. His confusing and sometimes even harsh lessons are driving to the spiritual core of every thought, every word, and every deed. So instead of wealth guaranteeing righteousness, Jesus has now exposed it as a barrier to faith. Let me say that again. Jesus has exposed wealth as a barrier to faith.
With that cultural understanding and that pushback, let's get back into the rich young ruler story. He wasn't just being asked to give up money. Jesus commanded him to go sell your possessions. What to do with them? Give them to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven.
He was being called to surrender his security, also his identity and status in first century Judeo culture. Now, it's important to note that Jesus could have asked him to do something else. He could have asked the man to pray more or spend more time studying the Torah and the prophets or perhaps serve in the synagogue or even serve the poor in some capacity. Those were all options, but Jesus knew the man's heart. his problem was clearly not a doing problem. It was a giving problem. It was a letting go problem. After all, he has witnessed Jesus' disciples and desires to serve alongside of them. This is why he's approaching Jesus and he wants to know about eternal life and he is interested in Jesus and potentially even the mission that he's watching play out. But for this guy, it wasn't a serving problem. Again, it was a giving problem. With that being said, I need to pause here. There's a caveat. It needs to be noted that in our modern time of great abundance, the opposite is often more prevalent. You see, giving in our modern time is a lot easier for us than serving.
But it doesn't really matter. Jesus is looking at the heart condition. Coming back to our account, the young man loved his wealth and possessions. So Jesus went straight to the heart of the issue. Jesus calls this man to make an exchange. Yes, an exchange. And this exchange will impact his life in three specific ways.
You see, his earthly security is about to be replaced with eternal reward. This is the opportunity. But also his human status is going to be replaced with kingdom belonging. This is the opportunity. His comfortable style would be replaced with a divine mission. This is the opportunity. It's an opportunity to exchange what he has had for something great, miraculous, spiritual, something unknown. And I should mention that Jesus wasn't condemning wealth in this. This would be a misrepresentation of his words and teaching. The literal money or possessions, they're not the actual issue.
Jesus was exposing its grip on the man's heart. That was the problem. And that's the real tragedy. And that's why he walks away sad. And maybe his sadness and his walking away is the ultimate and greatest tragedy. He had the opportunity of a lifetime. And yet he chose wealth and possessions and status over the son of God. Let's come back to our modern time. In Western society today, most of us have an abundance of possessions.
And on both a historical and global scale, if we look at it, we need to face the facts that we are very, very wealthy. You may not feel like it, but when we compare to the international world or history, we are. Therefore, each of us should deeply consider Jesus' teaching and reflect on the condition of our hearts. We should review all that we have and ask Jesus, what of this am I holding on to? What am I holding on to for meaning, belonging, security?
Jesus, what of this do you want me to surrender to you? It's an important question because the outcome of that moment initiates a radical shift because letting go is the beginning of living generously. Jesus can help you disconnect from all your earthly treasures. Jesus can give you the strength to release them and then they can be used for charity or ministry or something else that he desires and that he will place in your heart. But maybe you're wondering, how so? How do I do this? Well, let's not forget that Jesus gave the young ruler two commands, not just one. The focus in this passage is often placed on that first.
command or first request for the man to give up his wealth. But we can't miss the greater why. The big why is the greater invitation. Let's look at it again. Verse 21. After Jesus says, go sell what you possess and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, there's a semicolon. And then it says, and come, follow me. Did you see that? Follow me. That's the big one. That's the why. And it's worth stating again that this was never really about the money or possessions. It was about following Jesus. It was about discipleship. It was about trusting Jesus enough to let go and to walk with him from that moment forward.
Because letting go and clinging to Jesus leads us to freedom. It does. Having lots of possessions and collectibles may feel like security. It may feel like contentment for a time, but they don't address the deeper longings of the human soul. Your deeper longings, my deeper longings. And none of it is going to heaven with us. Once we surrender our earthly treasure, there is a bondage that is released. It's broken. There's a freedom that comes from placing Jesus as our source of security and contentment and replacing all those other things.
In contrast, let's consider another wealthy man we find in the gospel accounts named Zacchaeus. You can find the account in Luke 19, 1 through 10. This man was a tax collector, so he likely had some cash, but he didn't have the popularity of the young ruler. That being said, after meeting Jesus, Zacchaeus surrendered his life and all he had. He experienced a radical transformation, released him from bondage, released that bondage of money and greed, and he immediately started living out a generous life. He actually returns to every person he had ever cheated and gave them back four times what he had ever taken. That's crazy. That's radical.
Now let's look at another contrast. But on the other end of the spectrum, let's consider the widow who Jesus watched give her offering to God at the temple, found in Mark 12, verses 41 to 44. In the final days before Jesus was crucified, Jesus observed a poor widow, and she gave two small coins for a temple offering. Calling his disciples over, he saw there was a lesson to be had here. And he explained that her offering, though it was tiny, was greater than the large sums of money that were being given by the wealthy people. Why? Because she gave out of her faith, not out of her surplus. She gave from her heart, not just out of duty.
And so if we think of those examples and come back to our rich young ruler, when Jesus told him to sell all he had and give to the poor, and he watched that ruler walk away sorrowfully, it was because he was unwilling to let go of that wealth. And I'm sure a little bit in there, Jesus was devastated. I'm sure obviously he was God, he knew it would happen, but I just, I assume he felt some sadness. Sadness for the man, sadness for the outcome, sadness for the missed opportunity. Maybe he feels the same for us. You see, unlike Zacchaeus and unlike the widow, surrender for that man was far too difficult.
Instead, he chose to remain in bondage to his wealth, possessions. And instead of experiencing faith and freedom, he just walked away, stayed in the trap, stayed in the lifestyle that maybe he was popular on earth, maybe he had a lot on earth, but he missed such a great kingdom opportunity. Coming back to us, allowing Jesus to free us from the bondage of our possessions, it's going to reorder our priorities, which is a good thing. Because success is often measured by what we own, control, and accumulate, at least in our modern West. But Jesus turns all that upside down. The greatest treasures become what we give away, not what we keep. The true wealth is found through the impact we have, not through the accumulation of what we own. Jesus knows the human heart. Let me say that again. Jesus knows the human heart. He knows that wealth and possessions can become idols, points of worship. Jesus also knows our propensity to trust things more than we trust God.
That's why he consistently emphasized generosity as a way of life throughout the gospel accounts, and to live in a gospel way is to live in a generous way. Remember, he talked about money more than any other topic in his gospel teachings because he knows the power it has to pull us away from God's plan for our lives. You've likely already picked up on this, but it is worth being restated again. Living generously isn't just about meeting needs, although that's a beautiful outcome. Living generously is centered on the reordering of our hearts. Again, I can't stress it enough. It's about our heart condition.
As followers of Jesus, we're called to be open-handed with every paycheck, every investment, every possession, every stock and bond, every collectible, every single thing we own. It's supposed to sit in our hands like this. Not like this, not like this, like this. Having open-handed assets is a key part of being a disciple of Jesus. The rich young ruler, he likely had a morally upright life. He likely attended temple regularly, and maybe he even gave to the poor on occasion. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, but when he faced the decision of letting go to follow Jesus, he just couldn't do it.
And the same can be true for us. We can do all the Christian things, tend church, pray lots, read the Bible, give to charity, serve other people, serve the poor. But we can still be holding back on surrendering that one thing to Jesus. We need to remember that Jesus doesn't just call us to surrender in generosity. He displayed it by giving his very life for us. The cross is so important to this whole message.
The Apostle Paul, a great church leader and missionary writing to the Philippian church, reflected on Jesus' great act of generosity, giving up the glory of heaven to take on human flesh, humbling himself to the point of death on a cross. And he wrote to the church, though he, Jesus, was in the form of God, did not count it equality with God, a thing to be grasped. But instead he emptied himself. Jesus gave up the glory of heaven, his divine privileges, and ultimately he gave up his very life, dying on the cross for our sin and our lack of surrender and our lack of submission, all of it. He died for our rebellious hearts. He took on the punishment for us. And it's worth asking ourselves and reflecting deeply, if Jesus was willing to give up everything for me, what am I willing to give up for him? Think deeply about that question. Think deeply about the one thing that takes place first in your heart. Be honest and think of that one thing that you just haven't let go to Jesus. Is it wealth or possessions like the rich young ruler? Is it a single treasured possession or collectible? Is it your home or your vehicle, your stocks and investments? What item? When you think of letting it go, terrifies you.
whatever it is, and God only knows your heart. I'm not saying that I know your story, but whatever that thing is, and maybe we all have one, maybe it's time that we release it, release that money, possession, collectible belonging, whatever it is, because it might be keeping us from fully trusting in Jesus and fully experiencing him in a majestic, miraculous way. When we let go of that one thing we're clinging to, God replaces it. He's going to replace it with something far greater. He will.
And choosing to live with those open hands is a life of freedom and gospel impact for our world. People will notice we'll be able to share the gospel through our generosity and through our ability to just let things go. All of it is for Jesus and he'll use it. But now it's time to get really practical. If you're willing to go there, let's do it. I want you to pull out a notebook and a pen or open that notes app on your mobile device. Feel free to pause the video at any time during this to catch up, but I'm going to walk through this fairly slowly. Step one is to identify all the money, assets, possessions, and collectibles that you treasure.
Got that? You can pause if you want to do that now. List all those things, all those wonderful treasures you have. Write down all of your wealth and possessions. When you've done that, hit play. Now step two. Step two is to get honest, real honest, like Holy Spirit in your heart and mind with you honest. And ask, what in this list do I treasure more than Jesus? Again, ask, what in this list do I treasure more than Jesus? Maybe better stated as, which item on this list do I rely on more than Christ? After you've done all that, let's move to the third and final step.
and it's to make a plan, a letting go and living generously game plan. This is your moment to make some concrete decisions related to your wealth and possessions, to let it go and live generously. But maybe you're saying, I don't have any ideas. I don't know what to do. I listed all my stuff, but it's like, oh, the next step's a game plan. I don't really know what to do. Well, I thought that might be a problem. So don't worry. I've got some ideas. I've got some ideas for you once you've got your list. Here we go. Six small ones, six big ones. Let's rhyme them off.
First, you can set up an automatic payment or transfer to give a certain percentage, only you and Jesus can work that out, to a charity or a ministry. You can give away half of your wardrobe this week or sell it cheap to donate to a charity or ministry. Note the word cheap. If you're selling, lean on the blessing people part, not making money. Sell it cheap, let it go. Now, giving away half of the gear in your shed, basement, or garage, or sell it cheap and donate the income. Next, let's look at a few more. Commit to a no spending challenge for 30 days, accept necessities, then donate the savings.
Next, cut out half of your streaming subscriptions, then redirect those payment amounts to a charity or ministry. And the final small one is to commit monthly or quarterly investment interest, the money you make on your investments, and those returns to a charity or ministry. Now, those few were actually fairly easy. Now, maybe you're saying, well, those weren't really easy. Well, it's gonna get a lot harder. Just in case, maybe God is leading you toward a big impact, a significant moment of surrender. I have a few ideas for those too. Here we go, six of them. First one, downsize a vehicle or vehicles, maybe you got a whole bunch of them in your lot, and donate the income. Renegotiate your mortgage or your rent and allocate the monthly savings to a charity or ministry.
Create a donation plan that increases by 1% every year to gradually, bit by bit, support a charity or ministry more and more as the years progress. Reassess retirement goals to include a legacy donation as part of your end-of-life financial planning. When you pass away, is there some money you've set aside for kingdom work? Commit to living on a set percentage of income and donate the rest. Provide a home for someone in need by housing a missionary, fostering a child, or supporting someone in transition. Now to some of you, these might sound crazy.
For others, one of these acts of generosity may have resonated deeply inside of you. God may have told you about it before I even unpacked it. And if that's you, run to it, drop everything, open your hands and run. Because when we take on these challenges, we battle the worry of wealth. You know, it's active. We actively trust God as our provider and sustainer. We place it all in his hands. And every one of those acts of generosity shifts our focus from accumulating that earthly wealth and investing it in eternity, in kingdom work, in kingdom living.
So now let's take a moment. Let's reimagine this whole story. Let's imagine the rich young ruler had responded completely differently. Imagine if he had said, yes, Jesus, I'm letting it all go. I'm selling it all and giving it all to the poor. How different would that story be? That rich young ruler, he walked away because he was afraid of what he might lose. His wealth blinded him from this amazing, incredible adventure that he was about to be taken on. This mission above missions. He was right there. He almost had it. What about for you today in this moment?
Jesus is offering you something far greater than you could ever acquire on earth. You see, he died for your sin on the cross, and then God raised him from the dead. He has overcome death and sin, conquered them, and then he ascended to heaven to prepare a place for those who would follow him. By choosing Jesus, you will receive eternal life, but you'll also receive a transformed heart and a freedom from those worldly treasures. And after that, once you let all that go, you'll have a joy overflowing that can only come from him.
If you have never given your life to Jesus, I want to give you an opportunity today, right now. If you would like to give your life to Christ, you can pray this prayer with me right now. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, I confess that I have placed my trust in earthly treasures instead of you. But today, I choose to let go and live generously. I believe that you died for my sins and rose again, conquering sin and death. Please forgive me, change my heart, and lead my life. I surrender all to you.
Thank you for the eternal life and freedom you offer. In your name, Jesus Christ, I pray, amen. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch or to listen wherever you're at. Thank you for supporting Mountain View Church through prayer and all the financial support that you give. Before we conclude, I wanna let you know what's happening in our church community because we've got some big stuff coming up. And the first thing is happening today at Mountain View Church.
If you're new to faith or looking to grow deeper in your understanding of church and Christianity, you need to join Next Steps this afternoon. It's gonna be amazing. It's an amazing workshop starting at 12.30 p.m. And this session will help you understand what it means to follow Jesus, grow in your faith, and get connected to Mountain View Church. And lunch is provided, so why not? Whether you're just starting your journey or seeking to take a next step, this workshop is for you. Visit mountainview.church slash next steps to learn more.
Then I want to jump ahead like a month to Saturday, April 5th. And I want you to mark your calendars because Mountain View Church is hosting a creation conference designed for both adults and teenagers. This event will explore the biblical and scientific foundations of creation, including Christian worldview on biology, dinosaurs, yeah, dinosaurs, and the global flood. Interesting stuff. And it's followed by a Q&A with our guest speaker, Richard Fangrad. The cost is $35 per person, and you can register at mountainview.church slash conferences. That's mountainview.church slash conferences.
Last but not least, it's time for our discussion and prayer focus. Today's question, if you can gather around with someone or put some comments in the stream, answer this. What is God calling you to let go of to live more generously? What is God calling you or has called you to let go of to live more generously? After you leave some comments in the feed or chat about that with whoever you're with, spend some time in prayer or throw out a prayer in the comment feed. Pray for God's help to surrender fully and live with open hands. Pray for God's help to surrender fully and live with open hands.
And then plan on coming back next week. We're going to be tackling one of the most impossible teachings of Jesus. Really hard to wrap our mind around, especially if you have a family that's really close. He says, hate your family for my sake. Really? Is that what he says? Is that what he meant? What's the context there, Jeremy? What's going on there, Jeremy? We're going to figure it out. It's from Luke 14. Bring a friend. It's going to be great. See you then.
If you prayed to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centric teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse UConn.